1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for improving highway safety. Provided is a safety directional indicator for pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic, as well as for first responders. Embodiments include devices for guiding a driver of a vehicle or a pedestrian in a desired direction, typically away from first responders, highway workers, curbs, opposing lanes of traffic, or other dangerous situations.
2. Description of Related Art
Driving a motor vehicle or walking along roadways at night and during inclement or lowlight conditions can be dangerous and difficult for drivers, pedestrians, highway workers, and first responders. A common situation where accidents can occur involves turning into the correct lane of traffic, especially in divided highway situations. As is well known, a difficult driving task is presented by trying to turn and enter a correct lane while staring into headlights, being sidetracked by traffic lights, parking lot lights and other distractions such as construction sites and locations where emergency personnel and vehicles are present. This difficulty is further magnified in a multi-lane roadway environment. Many well-traveled and worn roadways lack the proper lines and lighting that would otherwise allow a driver to properly view his/her lane during turns in an intersection. Likewise, pedestrian crosswalks suffer from similar lighting deficiencies and/or worn pathways. Furthermore, many conventional in-vehicle navigational guidance devices, displaying a map with optional voice indicated directions, are not helpful enough for the driver to decide which lane to take and may actually distract driver's attention from observing the intersection layout and traffic conditions.
Another common situation where highway safety is an issue is where first responders to an accident scene are present. In addition to the dangerous conditions present which caused an accident in the first place, there may be present first responders to assist with emergency needs. Visibility of the first responders is helpful in directing traffic away from those individuals, however, visibility of the individuals themselves may not always be possible depending on the road or environmental conditions of a particular accident scene. Thus there is a need for increasing the visibility of first responders to others, especially drivers maneuvering through an accident scene during the emergency.
Known highway safety devices include stationary and portable devices for illuminating subjects, structures, and/or the correct driving or walking path. For example, US Published Patent Application No. 20080168941, entitled “Apparatus and method for guiding driver of a motor vehicle to enter a correct lane after a turn at an intersection,” discloses an apparatus for guiding a driver of a vehicle to enter a correct lane after a turn at an intersection, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The device comprises: (a) an elongated housing having a predetermined length; (b) means for mounting a first end of said housing to a ground surface so that said housing is disposed in a generally upright manner; and (c) means secured to said housing for indicating said correct entry lane and viewable by said driver prior to and during turning into said correct entry lane. This device directs traffic to follow a desired path using an obtrusive structure that stands upright on a ground surface and is readily noticeable by drivers. In embodiments, colored lights are used to indicate the correct path to follow, such as green and red. Although this device is useful for some situations, a smaller, more portable device that can be used in a variety of locations and for a variety of situations is more highly desired.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,006, which is a “Method and Apparatus for Light Transmission,” describes a flexible and portable apparatus (belt or vest) comprising light sources and flexible hot-melt adhesive thermoplastic material with light transmission characteristics for transmitting a flashing light from the light sources. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,006 is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The light sources are disposed at both ends of the thermoplastic material such that light travels to the center of the material and creates a flashing effect as the light sources are turned on and off at the same time. This apparatus is intended to be worn by highway personnel to increase visibility of highway workers to drivers. As such, the device has limited applicability to other highway safety issues, such as for indicating a proper direction for drivers and pedestrians.
Thus, what is desired is a multi-functional safety device that is portable, easy to install, and can be used for a variety of highway safety situations, including as a directional indicator for drivers and pedestrians as well as protective clothing for highway personnel and first responders.